Tepee



May 13, 1952 M. J. SCHOLTING TEPEE 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 Filed Oct. 14, 1949Snventor MELw/v f. Sa /0477M; m Z

FIE E E (Ittomeg s May 13, 1952' M. J. SCHOLTING TEPEE Filed Oct. 14,1949 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 FIE- a 4 3nventor MELv/N J SCHOLTl/VG Patented May13, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TEPEE Melvin J. Scholting, SanFrancisco, Calif. Application October 14, 1949, Serial No. 121,285

9 Claims. I

This invention relates to a tepee for children, and has for one of itsobjects the provision of a life-size childs tepee that is economical tomake, durable, waterproof, easy to set up and to take down, and highlyattractive in appearance.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a childs tepee thatis made of corrugated cardboard incorporating therein a waterproofmaterial, and which tepee is so designed as to produce an exceptionallystrong structure when set up, yet may be rolled up into a compact rollwhen taken down.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a childstepee that can easily and quickly be set up and taken down by a singleperson.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the drawings and in thedescription.

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a blank of sheet material from which the tepeeis formed.

Fig. 2 is a front elevational view of the tepee after it is set up, thesides being surface decorated to enhance its appearance. The decorationsare omitted from the other views.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the tepee partly broken away to show one ofthe reinforcing front flaps, and dot-dash lines being shown to indicatethe direction of the corrugations.

Fig. 4 is a greatly enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken along line4-4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary enlarged plan view of a piece of the sheetmaterial of the tepee with the mesh of jute thread indicated in dot-dashlines, and the top layer folded back.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view showing one of thestakes in tepee holding position, the lower marginal portion of thetepee.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of one of the clips used for holding thefront flaps adjacent the body of the tepee.

In detail, the body of the. tepee is a substantially semi-circular blankI of corrugated cardboard preferably of the type known to the tradeunder the trade-name of Corroflex in which one side 2 is plain and ofkraft board or paper while the other side 3 is of corrugated kraftboard. Between the sides 2, 3 is a waterproofing material 4 which mayhave an asphalt or tar base,

. and which material greatly contributes to the strength, and durabilityof the tepee as well as holding the sides together. The sheet is furtherreinforced with strong jute mesh in which strands 5 are cross woven atright angles to the corrugations and parallel therewith.

The plain side 2 of the sheet I is preferably the outer side of thetepee and designs 6 (Fig. 2) of any suitable kind may be painted orstencilled on said outer side. Also said side 2 and the inner side 3 maybe waterproofed, if desired, either before or after the designs areapplied.

The corrugations of sheet I extend parallel with the central radius lineJ:a: of Fig. l. Aligned radially extending straight edges 1, B (Fig. 1)extend oppositely outwardly from the center 9 of the radius of the sheetI. In forming the tepee, the edges 1, 8 are brought together, thusforming a conical tepee.

Rows of openings II), II are formed at opposite sides of the centralpoint 9 along edges '1, 8, the openings (0, H being equally spaced fromsaid point. Between point 9 and the first openings in said rows, themarginal portion of the sheet is formed with a pair of slits i2extending from edges 7, 8 at right angles thereto. These slits are ofequal length and folding creases I 3 extend divergently from point 9 tothe terminating closed ends of said slits.

When the tepee is set up to conical shape with edges 1, 8 together, thesaid edges are laced together by a lace I4 (Fig. 2) which may be of ropeor of any other suitable material. Obviously, the marginal portionscarrying the openings Ill, ll could overlap to bring the openings inregistration, and clips or a lace could extend through the registeringopenings, but the struc ture illustrated is preferable.

The flaps l5 respectively defined along two sides by a folding crease l3and slit I2 are folded back as seen in Fig. l, and a central vent holeIt (Fig. 3) is provided at the apex of the tepee.

Along the circular marginal portion of the sheet I that is along thecircular edge I"! of the tepee (Fig. 1) are formed a row of spacedcircular openings I8. The end openings of said row terminate at pointsequally spaced from the ends of edges 1, 8.

The spacing of said end openings from the ends of edges 1, 8 is slightlygreater than the total desired width of the door or opening into thetepee at the base of the latter.

Folding creases 20 extend from points adjacent the end openings I8 inthe row that is along the circular edge of the sheet I to points equallyspaced from the central point 9, which points are about midway betweenthe ends of each of the edges 1, 8 and adjacent the end openings in thelacing openings l0, II.

The flaps 2| respectively defined along two edges by the folding crease20 and the end portion of edge I (or 8) that adjoins the circular edgell, may be folded into the tepee and against the inner sides of thewalls of the latter adjacent said folding creases before or after thetepee is set up, and conventional paper clips 25 (Fig. 6) or othersuitable means may secure the flaps against the body of the tepee.

Stakes 30 (Figs. 2, 6) are provided for securing the tepee 'to'thegroundeach of said stakes being formed "with an opening 31 adjacent itsupper end. The stakes are preferably first driven into the groundthrough openings 18. A cord 32 extends around the lower portion of thetepee through openings 3| in the stakes. This cord engages the outerside of the tepee between theadjacent pairs of stakes and thus not onlycontributes toward holding the tepee down, but it also reinforces thelower marginal portion of the tepee against outward force appliedagainst the inside of the tepee. Thecord-fiz may be secured at its endsto the stakes adjacent the opening 31 (Fig. 2) into the tepee "and-the'cpenings 3| in the stakes are about even with theouter surface ofthe tepee. If not found to be so, the stakes can be driven further'until the cord at each stake touches the tepee.

As best indicated .in Fig. 3, the corrugations 3i: (indicated bydot-dash lines) extend straight down from the apex of the tepee to thebase, at the rear side thatis opposite the opening, or opposite theadjoiningedges "l, 8. This provides strength at said rear side of thetepee against buckling.

This centralcorrugation coincidental with the line ac-s: which is at therear side of the tepee, extends at anangle-of 90 to the circular edge I?of the tepee (lower edge of tepee). At opposite sides of said centralcorrugation, the corrugations gradually commence to extend at decreasingangular degrees relative to'said circular edge until about a minimumangle of 20 is reached at the folding crease 20. This still providessubstantial rigidity. However, the point of weakness would normally bealong the marginal portions of the door opening 3-1, in the absence ofany reinforcement. Such reinforcement is provided by the flaps 2]. Whenthese are folded back, the corrugations extend transversely across thecorrugations in the body of the tepee, thereby providing the greateststrength in the tepee walls'where most is required. Mere reinforcementin the absence of the crossing of the corrugations would give somestrength, but 'by the structure described. the preferred and mostdesired strength is obtained.

In actual practice, the walls of the tepee, which have "a rated strengthof at least 200 lbs. will resist breakage under extremely rough usage,and even where the walls may be bent inwardly under blows from theoutside, the walls are readily straightened out and retain sufficientrigidity to maintain the desired appearance of the tepee.

In setting up the tepee, it is only necessary to bring the edges 1, 8together and to insert the lacing for holding said edges together, thecorrugations being preferably on the inside. With the tepee thus formedthe stakes 30 are driven through openings l8 into the ground and thecord 32 is threaded through openings 3] in the stakes and is drawn taut,after which the ends of the cords are secured. The flaps I at the topmay be bent back to form the opening [6 in the apex of the tepee, andthe flaps 2| may be pinned back as described to form the front opening35 and to reinforce the front side of the tepee along said opening. Thetepee is then completely set up and will stay securely in place in astrong wind, or if it is struck by children in playing.

In order to give an idea of the size of a tepee that has been found tobe satisfactory, the height of one as shown in Fig. 2is between five andsix feet, and the diameter of the base is also between five and sixfeet; The height of the door opening is about'three feet.

Theouter covering 2 is of the same general t pe, known as -110-30waterproof kraft and the jute threads 5 are cross woven to form aboutone inch by one inch mesh. The material remains sufficiently flexiblefor rolling and unrolling at from 40 F. to 160 F. In the above typev ofmaterial the j-ute reinforced outer covering of waterproofkia'ftpreferably consists of 1 ply pound kraft that may be creped forextra resistance against scuffing (all weights are on basis of 2% 'x867-4390 sheets), to' lbs. of asphalt, l0 to -1'5 lbstreinforcing jute,30 lbs. kraft inner ply.

It is to be understood that the above detailed specificationsare not tobe considered as being restrictive of the invention. They are merelygiven as being illustrative of the preferred structure.

When the tepee as described is rolled up, it will readily fit ina box 4-/2 inches by 4 /2 inches by '70 inches, including the stakes and cord,hence is easily stored away. The material of the tepee being waterproof,insect and rodent proof, it will be seen that the tepee may be storedpractically anywhere for-an'indifinite period of time without likelihoodof injury.

I claim:

1. A tepee comprising a sheet of corrugated cardboard in substantiallythe shape of a cone and provided withan opening in one side adjacent itsbase, a plurality of stakes extending through said sheet around andadjacent to said base, and a cord carried by said stakes closelyadjacent the outer sideo'f said tepee encircling said tepee along itsbase from opposite lateral sides of said opening.

2. A tepee comprising a sheet of corrugated cardboard'in substantially"the shape of a cone and provided with an opening 'in one side adjacentits base, a plurality of stakes around said base, and a cord carried bysaid stakes encircling said tepee along its 'base from opposite lateralsides of said opening, openings formed in the walls of said tepee alongits base through which said stakes extendinto the ground inside saidtepee with their upper ends projecting from the outer side of saidtepee, said cord being carried by the said upper ends of 'said stakesinwardly of the base edge of said tepee.

3. A tepee comp-'ising a sheet of corrugated cardboard in substantially"the shape of a cone and provided with an opening in one side adjacentits base, a plurality of stakes ,around said base, "and a cord carriedby said stakes encircling said tepee along its base from oppositelateral sides of said opening, openings formed in the walls of said't'epe'e along its base through which said stakes extend into the groundinside said tepee with their upper 'ends projecting from the outer sideof said tepee, said cord being carried by the said upper ends of saidstakes inwardly of the base edge of said tepeaan opening formed in theupper end of each stake through which said cord extends.

4. A tepee comprising a sheet of corrugated cardboard in substantiallythe shape of a cone and provided with an opening in one side adjacentits base, a plurality of stakes extending through said sheet around andadjacent to said base, and a cord carried by said stakes closelyadjacent the outer side of said tepee encircling said tepee along itsbase from opposite lateral sides of said opening, the corrugations insaid sheet being equally spaced apart with the cor rugation in the sideopposite said opening being wholly Within a substantially vertical planesubstantially bisecting said tepee.

5. A blank for forming a tepee comprising a substantially semi-circularsheet of corrugated cardboard, means for Waterproofing and forreinforcing said sheet, the corrugations of said sheet being parallelwith a radial line substantially bisecting said sheet, marginal portionsof said sheet along the radially extending edges thereof being formedwith a plurality of openings for receiving a lace to hold said sheet toconical form with said edges substantially parallel.

6. A blank for forming a tepee comprising a substantially semi-circularsheet of corrugated cardboard, means for Waterproofing and forreinforcing said sheet, the corrugations of said sheet being parallelwith a radial line substantially bisecting said sheet, marginal portionsof said sheet along the radially extending edges thereof being formedwith a plurality of openings for receiving a lace to hold said sheet toconical form with said edges substantially parallel, fold lines formedin said blank extending divergently across said sheet from points alongsaid radially extending edges for folding of the sections of said sheetbetween such lines and the ends of said sheet against the body of thelatter to provide an opening in one side of said tepee when said sheetis bent to conical form.

7. A blank for forming a tepee comprising a substantially semi-circularsheet of corrugated cardboard, means for waterproofing and forreinforcing said sheet, the corrugations of said sheet being parallelwith a radial line substantially bisecting said sheet, marginal portionsof said sheet along the radially extending edges thereof being formedwith a plurality of openings for receiving a lace to hold said sheet toconical form with said edgessubstantially parallel, fold lines formed insaid blank extending divergently across said sheet from points alongsaid radially extending edges for folding of the sections of said sheetbetween such lines and the ends of said sheet against the body of thelatter to provide an opening in one side of said tepee when said sheetis bent to conical form, said sections also providing means forreinforcing said sheet along the side edges of said opening.

8. A tepee formed from a sheet of corrugated cardboard of the typehaving a corrugated layer of board secured against a relatively fiatlayer or" paper, said tepee having its base edge substantiallycoincident with a circle coaxial with the longitudinal axis of thetepee, the corrugated layer of said sheet having its corrugations ofuniform size from end to end extending generally upwardly from said baseedge of said tepee, an opening formed in one side of said tepee andalong said base edge, the corrugation in said layer along the side ofthe tepee opposite said opening being substantially in a vertical planebisecting said tepee and the remaining corrugations at opposite sides ofthe last mentioned corrugation extending from said base edge toward aline along which the side of said tepee opposite said corrugation isintersected by said plane.

9. A tepee formed from a sheet of corrugated cardboard of the typehaving a corrugated layer or board secured against a relatively fiatlayer of paper, said tepee having its base edge substantially coincidentwith a circle coaxial with the longitudinal axis of the tepee, thecorrugated layer of said sheet having its corrugations of uniform sizefrom end to end extending generally upwardly from said base edge of saidtepee, an opening formed in one side of said tepee and along said baseedge, the corrugation in said layer along the side of the tepee oppositesaid opening being substantially in a vertical plane bisecting saidtepee where the said axis of the latter is vertical, said openingterminating at its upper end at a point intermediate the upper and lowerends of said tepee and sections of said sheet being folded against themain body portion forming said tepee along the edges of said opening,the corrugations in said sections extending transversely across thecorrugations in said main body portion across which said sections extendfor reinforcing said tepee along the edges of said opening.

MELVIN J. SCHOLTING.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 288,251 McComb et al. Nov. 13,1883 1,301,605 Ringel Apr. .22, 1919 1,605,953 Howard Nov.. 9, 19261,953,514 Skagerberg Apr. 3, 1934 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date71,414 Norway Dec. 23, 1946

